³ But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,^{(A) 4} they on their part acted with cunning: they went and prepared provisions^[a] and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys and wineskins, worn out and torn and mended, ⁵ with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and worn-out clothes, and all their provisions were dry and moldy. ⁶ They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the Israelites, “We have come from a far country, so now make a treaty with us.”^{(B) 7} But the Israelites said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a treaty with you?”^{(C) 8} They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?”^{(D) 9} They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of the Lord your God, for we have heard a report of him, of all that he did in Egypt^{(E) 10} and of all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth.^{(F) 11} So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey; go to meet them, and say to them, “We are your servants; come now, make a treaty with us.” ’ ¹² Here is our bread; it was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey, on the day we set out to come to you, but now, see, it is dry and moldy; ¹³ these wineskins were new when we filled them, and see, they are burst, and these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” ¹⁴ So the leaders^[b] partook of their provisions and did not ask direction from the Lord.^{(G) 15} And Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their lives by a treaty, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.^(H)

¹⁶ But when three days had passed after they had made a treaty with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and were living among them. ¹⁷ So the Israelites set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.^{(I) 18} But the Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.^{(J) 19} But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we must not touch them. ²⁰ This is what we will do to them: we will let them live, so that wrath may not come upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.” ²¹ The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the leaders had decided concerning them.^(K)

²² Joshua summoned them and said to them, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ while in fact you are living among us?^{(L) 23} Now, therefore, you are cursed, and some of you shall always be slaves, woodcutters and drawers of water for the house of my God.”^{(M) 24} They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, so we were in great fear for our lives because of you and did this thing.^{(N) 25} And now we are in your hand: do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us.”^{(O) 26} This is what he did for them: he saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. ²⁷ But on that day Joshua made them woodcutters and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to continue to this day, in the place that he should choose.^(P)

Paul Held in Custody

²⁴ Some days later when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak concerning faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ And as he discussed justice, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the present; when I have an opportunity, I will send for you.”^{(A) 26} At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul, and for that reason he used to send for him very often and converse with him.

²⁷ After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and since he wanted to grant the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.^(B)

Paul Appeals to the Emperor

25 Three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, ² where the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews gave him a report against Paul. They appealed to him^{(C) 3} and requested, as a favor to them against Paul,^[a] to have him transferred to Jerusalem. They were, in fact, planning an ambush to kill him along the way.^{(D) 4} Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly.^{(E) 5} “So,” he said, “let those of you who have the authority come down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.”

⁶ After he had stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. ⁷ When he arrived, the Jews who had gone down from Jerusalem surrounded him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.^{(F) 8} Paul said in his defense, “I have in no way committed an offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against the emperor.”^{(G) 9} But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me on these charges?”^{(H) 10} Paul said, “I am standing before the emperor’s tribunal; this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know. ¹¹ Now if I am in the wrong and have committed something for which I deserve to die, I am not trying to escape death, but if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can turn me over to them. I appeal to the emperor.”^{(I) 12} Then Festus, after he had conferred with his council, replied, “You have appealed to the emperor; to the emperor you will go.”

The Sun Stands Still

10 When King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,^{(A) 2} he^[a] became greatly frightened, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. ³ So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent a message to King Hoham of Hebron, to King Piram of Jarmuth, to King Japhia of Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon, saying, ⁴ “Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites.”^{(B) 5} Then the five kings of the Amorites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon—gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and camped against Gibeon and made war against it.^(C)

⁶ And the Gibeonites sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country are gathered against us.” ⁷ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the fighting force with him, all the mighty warriors. ⁸ The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you; not one of them shall stand before you.”^{(D) 9} So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. ¹⁰ And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who inflicted a crushing blow on them at Gibeon, chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.^{(E) 11} As they fled before Israel, while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down huge stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.^(F)

¹² On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord, and he said in the sight of Israel,

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in midheaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.^{(H) 14} There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded a human voice, for the Lord fought for Israel.^(I)

¹⁵ Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.^(J)

Festus Consults King Agrippa

¹³ After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. ¹⁴ Since they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man here who was left in prison by Felix.^{(A) 15} When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him and asked for a sentence against him.^{(B) 16} I told them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had met the accusers face to face and had been given an opportunity to make a defense against the charge.^{(C) 17} So when they met here, I lost no time but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought.^{(D) 18} When the accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the crimes^[a] that I was expecting. ¹⁹ Instead, they had certain points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died but whom Paul asserted to be alive.^{(E) 20} Since I was at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.^{[b](F) 21} But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of his Imperial Majesty, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to the emperor.”^{(G) 22} Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you will hear him.”^(H)

Paul Brought before Agrippa

²³ So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then Festus gave the order and Paul was brought in.^{(I) 24} And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.^{(J) 25} But I found that he had done nothing deserving death, and when he appealed to his Imperial Majesty, I decided to send him.^{(K) 26} But I have nothing definite to write to our sovereign about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write, ²⁷ for it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”